This Map Shows The Countries Where Being LGBT Is Illegal

In an ideal world, travellers would be able to go wherever they wished safely and happily regardless of their sexuality, gender or appearance.

Sadly, however, that’s not a reality. Travelling as a LGBT person can be or feel dangerous, and knowing the lay of land in other countries is critical to staying safe and feeling comfortable.

This map can help. It shows the countries worldwide where being LGBT is legal, accepted and encouraged, places where it’s illegal and, worst of all, places where it can result in a prison sentence or even a death sentence.

There are 19 countries with laws that actively target public expression of LGBT realities, such as a same-sex couple holding hands in public or kissing. These are often called ‘promotion’ or ‘morality’ laws.

Renato Sabbadini, executive director at ILGA, said: ‘With the ongoing rise in the use of digital devices, deployment of these laws becomes all the more sinister.

‘The ongoing case of Chechnya offers us the most recent, horrific example of such abuses, as survivors have expressed fears that the social media accounts of men perceived to be gay or bisexual are being hacked and used to identify and contact others who have not yet been arrested.’

The death penalty can be applied for consensual same-sex acts in eight UN member nations. In Saudi Arabia, Yemen, Iran and the Sudan, it’s applied state-wide, in Nigeria and Somalia it’s implemented only in certain provinces. In Iraq and in Daesh-held territories in northern Syria and northern Iraq, it’s implemented only by vigilantes, local courts or other non-state means.

The map also provides information about conversion therapy, marriage equality and discrimination in the workplace.